The widespread use of the Internet has greatly enhanced the way users acquire and use electronic media. There are now many different types of media players that allow users to locate, obtain, and play media files that contain music, movies, computer programs, pictures, games, and other content. For instance, a user may search for a particular song at the Apple Music Store, which is found at http://www.applemusic.com, and purchase rights that allow the user to download a media file containing the song. Once the user obtains the media file, the user may play the song on a compatible media player application, such as the iTunes® player by Apple of Cupertino, Calif. Other media player applications that allow users to purchase and play media files include the RealOne™ player by RealNetworks, Inc., of Seattle, Wash.; and the Windows Media Player™ by Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash.
While existing systems have enhanced the way users acquire and use media, existing systems present some limitations. One limitation is caused by the fact that specific media player applications are limited to certain types of file formats. For instance, if a user obtains a media file in a Windows® media format, e.g., a .WMA file, for use in the Windows Media Player™, the obtained media file may be incompatible with other media players, such as the RealOne™ player or the iTunes® player. Although it is possible for a user to convert an original media file having a Windows® media format into a format that is compatible with another player, such a remedy is not always desirable because the conversion process causes some degradation in the quality of the recording.
The above-described limitation caused by incompatible file formats is more apparent when existing media players are required to manage rights to a copyright-protected work contained in a media file. For instance, if a user purchases a copyright-protected audio file from the Apple Music Store, the user receives the audio file in a particular format, such as Apple's new AAC format. Copyright protection of the content contained in the audio file is preserved since the proprietary AAC format cannot be played by other media players. In addition, the compatible media player application, the iTunes® player, limits the number of copies that can be produced from the original media file. Thus, if the user would like to play the purchased song on another media player application, such as the Windows Media Player™, the user would have to purchase rights to the same song from another provider having an audio file format that is compatible with the Windows Media Player™. Although it may be possible for the user to convert the AAC file to another format suitable for another media player, the quality of the converted audio file would be subject to some degradation. In addition, conversion of an AAC file to another file format may violate one or more copyrights that apply to the purchased file. As a result of the above-described limitations, consumers of copyright-protected media files may not have the ability to utilize more than one media player application for certain media files. In addition, users may be forced to purchase multiple copies of a song if they wish to utilize more than one media player application.
Accordingly, the prior art is lacking an effective method and system for efficient distribution and management of media files. In addition, the prior art is lacking an effective method and system for managing access rights to copyrighted works contained in media files.